Lee said he looked around the country and the state for a candidate who could “advance the cause of education improvement in Tennessee.”

“We believe, and I am certain, that we found the person that understands that every child in Tennessee deserves a quality education,” he said.

A career educator who comes from a family of teachers, Schwinn has experience in Delaware leading testing efforts and founded a California charter school.

Joining Tennessee from Texas

A top administrator in Texas, she comes to Tennessee having weathered a conflict-of-interest controversy that resulted in that state revising its contracting rules.

Schwinn said she grew up with her mom, a 37-year-educator, bringing her to class. She said it instilled a passion for education and ensuring all children have the best opportunities to learn.

"What I have accomplished and what I still hope to accomplish in education is the reason I work 100-hour weeks," she said. "It is the reason I believe this is a life commitment."

In an interview, she said she wants to ensure educators and parents feel heard.

She leaves the Texas Education Agency after pursuing a series of reforms that included transforming the state's assessment program after a year of issues, according to the announcement. She said she will lean on that experience to improve TNReady testing, which has been under fire after several years of problems.

Schwinn also expanded pathways for improving students’ career readiness upon graduation, the Lee transition statement said.

Schwinn's appointment was hailed as an "outstanding choice" by Texas' education chief.

"Penny’s leadership as TEA’s chief deputy commissioner of academics has led to considerable improvements in the way we deliver education to Texas’ 5.4 million school children," Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath said. "I wish her all the best as she embarks on this new journey to improve the lives and educational outcomes for students in Tennessee."

Schwinn courted controversy in Texas

Schwinn moves from Texas amid controversy there.

A September audit found Schwinn failed to report a conflict of interest between her and a subcontractor who got a $4.4 million contract to collect special education data. As a result, the Texas state commissioner canceled the contract, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The Dallas Morning News also reported that Schwinn told auditors that while she had a professional relationship with the subcontractor, she didn’t try to influence the contract. In the wake of audit, Texas revamped its procurement process, the Texas Tribune reported.

Schwinn will need to help secure an assessment vendor to administer the TNReady test with the state's contract with Questar Assessment set to expire.

"In Tennessee, it is about learning the processes that exist and making sure that we are very clear on the expectations of what we want and why," she said. "Certainly in Texas, as an agency we learned a lot ... and I am proud of the finance team in correcting the issues that we had."

Experience across the country

Although Schwinn is younger than her predecessor, Candice McQueen, she said she has enough experience for the job.

Prior to her work in Texas, Schwinn served as the Delaware Department of Education chief accountability and performance officer, conducting a testing audit that led to nearly a 20 percent decrease in student testing time.

She is also the founder of South Sacramento charter school Capitol Collegiate Academy, a Broad Academy alumni and a Teach for America alumni.

She is also part of the Chiefs for Change Future Chiefs program, an education reform-minded program that seeks to prepare leaders to work in large systems. McQueen also is a member of the group.

“Penny is the right leader to build on Tennessee’s impressive record of improving outcomes for students,” said John White, chair its board of directors. “She will work with schools and families across Tennessee to help ensure that every student receives an excellent education.”

Schwinn appointment draws praise in Tennessee

Tennessee Education Association President Beth Brown, head of the state teacher's union, said she hopes Schwinn sees firsthand the work that is happening in classrooms.

"Based on our first conversation, I am confident we have common ground on the importance of test transparency, including educators’ voices in policy decisions and working to ensure all students have access to a quality public education,” Brown said.

Professional Educators of Tennessee President J.C. Bowman said he looks forward to working with Schwinn to help support teachers.

And David Mansouri, president and CEO of the State Collaborative for Reforming Education, which focuses on increasing academic achievement, said Schwinn has a track record of making decisions based on what’s best for students.

TNReady's flawed roll-out was a central education topic during the gubernatorial race. It will be up to Schwinn to oversee the test in the spring and ensure the state's contractor can deliver problem-free testing.

Schwinn will replace McQueen, who held the post for the last four years. McQueen is highly regarded for ushering in numerous changes that created Tennessee-specific requirements for students.

She also led the crafting of a state plan to adhere to a sweeping new federal education law. But TNReady was a black mark on her tenure.

Schwinn is one of the last four members Lee appointed to his Cabinet.

Lee is set to be sworn into office on Saturday.

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